Chapter 4: Shadows, burried within
1346 Words
Siberia’s winter has always been harsh, especially for those who cannot adapt. The snow covering the forest silenced all noises, except for the crunch of paws against ice. These were the ones who didn't fit in; where wolves are evil and bad luck, werewolves have no place. All the madness they faced among people made them choose to give up their human form and live in shadows as predators.
Roo, with his brown fur that shimmered like gold, moved with calculated steps. His blue eyes, sharp and watchful, scanned the horizon. Beneath his calmness was a weight he bore silently:
he had to hold his family together, no matter the cost.
He stared at Adna.
Her black coat had a sharp contrast against the snow. Her piercing black eyes held the glint of intelligence and fierceness—a gaze that made even Roo pause sometimes. Her presence was heavier than ever: the sharp gaze, demanding attitude, and all the suffering she went through made her into a true killer with no mercy. If she chose to live as a human again, she probably could have had a job as a surgeon or even as an assassin. Not only as a strict mom and stern wife but as the pack’s Luna, she was feared by others.
By her own children,
And her own husband,
Roo.
Their pack was a family—three sons and four daughters—but it was...
Well...
Shattered.
Two sons had left to find mates and form their own packs. But everyone knew it was an excuse.
When dark truths are shown, people tend to leave. It's not always because they feel betrayed, but this time...
It was fear...
THEY RAN.
FOR THEIR OWN SAKE.
FOR THEIR LIVES.
They tried to escape the danger and save themselves.
Roo understood that instinct drove them, but their abandonment left him hollow.
He watched Adna as she stared at the full moon. Now, seeing her frame cut through the snow like a shadow, he could not remember her.
It seemed like he was looking at a stranger, not the one with whom he had shared his body and soul. She was nothing like the woman he knew and loved.
The famine of the past winter still haunted them, although it was gone.
She had done the unthinkable...
Breaking all the trust between family members into pieces...
Devouring their youngest daughter for herself to survive.
Roo pushed his eyelids shut, remembering vultures flying around her dead body. There was not much left of her.
Adna was waiting for the pups for the full moon howling ritual.
They did this to show their territory to other animals and strengthen their bond.
After waiting for so long, tolerating Roo's heavy gaze on her...
Adna overheard them...
Her own children...
Howling together under the moon,
not joining her...
Or asking her to join...
Her jaw clenched...
So they knew what happened...
She patiently waited for them to finish, not betraying any emotion.
But this...activated the grenade inside her.
“Roo,”
Adna broke the silence, her voice sharp, almost biting. In her human form, it had a strong tone, but in this moment, it was void of emotion.
“You don’t have to hide it while you are staring at me. Where is your bravery as a male? I remember you being a total pervert when you were in human shape in that goddamn bar... watching me as if you had X-ray vision and could see my genitals through my coat...
What??
Getting old makes men too shy to watch their own wife freely? OR does it make them useless? Sorry, MORE useless...”
“I wasn’t staring,” Roo replied, his tone calm yet distant.
“Yes, you were. You always are...” she turned her gaze forward, into the forest.
“You just think it may happen again... That’s why you are always sleeping with one eye open...”
Roo stopped her in her tracks, his powerful frame blocking her path. “I’m watching because it’s my job. To protect all of you. Even from yourself.”
Adna’s eyes narrowed.
“Protect me? Haha, funny. As if you could! From what, Roo? Hunger? Instinct? Grief? Family secrets? You call that protection?”
He paused...
Felt the humiliation in her tone...
In his human body, he would probably blush ear to ear.
Yet he felt the warmth in his face, as if someone had slapped him.
Suddenly, he had a flashback...
He saw another vision of that disaster:
Himself, being a terrible leader to the pack, refusing to change into his human form to get food during the famine, unable to hunt.
Seven wonky pups, hungry, too young to hunt by themselves, nagging for food...
A vulnerable petite wolf, having given birth to four pups in famine, bleeding, starving to death.
She was right.
Yet...
No one could justify what she did.
His voice lowered, dangerously calm. “From tearing apart what’s left of this family. No one could deny what happened. Maybe you could deny it, ignore it, or make excuses to yourself, but it is what it is, and it has been done. By you, and only you.”
Adna growled, leaning toward Roo aggressively.
"It's always about them, not me... I guess if you could plant those puppies on your own and harvest them like vegetables, you would not mate with me at all! Plus, if you cared that much, why didn't you just go to the village, work like a real man, and get us some food? Ah, RIGHT: ‘real men have pride,’ ‘humans become suspicious of us,’ ‘humans are struggling with lack of food, so they have nothing to give us’... Heard them all... Be creative this time, will you?"
She took one more step toward him.
Eye to eye, Roo could feel her rage...
Breathing fast into his face, her skin almost touched his, burning with wrath.
"Be honest this time. Admit it. You failed not only me but the whole pack!"
Their argument was interrupted by the pack’s only son bounding between them, tail wagging. A small carbon copy of Roo, he stood on Roo's side, as if Adna were the enemy.
The daughters began to join, not asking anything...
So all of them knew...
Adna suddenly felt the threat.
As they made a circle around her, she noticed the danger.
She roared for them to give her space.
They did...
She went back into the forest,
Alone.
The secret was finally revealed.
The bitterness remained unspoken...
It was like a bad perfume, polluting the air...
Not too far from them, two eyes were watching the conflict behind a bush. Hazel eyes, burning with a flame of desire... grey fur, giving him a good camouflage in the snow.
Ash, a young werewolf, had just hit adulthood, loving his new life as a werewolf. Of course, he became one by choice...
Having all sorts of problems as a human being, he detached from people fully and became a bookworm.
The anti-social science fan was cold and silent on the outside,
But on the inside...
He was aching for a forbidden sense...
Something he had never experienced before.
He wanted to BELONG.
Getting into the dark realm, he studied werewolves' behavior and felt that maybe he could finally find what he always sought:
his place...
his home...
his tribe...
his pack...
After he found an actual werewolf, he took him into some drama that led them to a duel. Ash was too smart to risk his life for free. He did this intentionally, only to get bitten by the werewolf before pulling out his Greta gun and shooting him to death.
All this went through his mind in a snap.
He walked away slowly in the snow. He found what he wanted, and his hazel eyes gleamed with curiosity and something darker: ambition.
Walking away in silence, with that burning gaze... reflecting the fire inside him... Ash smirked to himself.
“I’ll find a way in. One way or another.”
- Writer
